Macomb County searches ways to pay for possible $61M in building renovations

Nov. 3, 2013

A fire in April at the old county building in downtown Mt. Clemens displaced 150 to 200 employees. Now, officials are considering renovations there and at the other buildings on the county government's campus. There also are plans for a new parking deck. / David Posavetz/Macomb Daily via Associated Press

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Detroit Free Press Staff Writer

Macomb County officials are exploring ways to pay for $53 million to $61 million in proposed building changes at its campus in downtown Mt. Clemens — including renovations at the old county building after a fire in April and a new parking deck.

The cost estimate includes the purchase of the Talmer Bank building, which was vacant before the county began using it after the blaze that displaced 150-200 employees in the old county building. The county has paid only utilities at the bank building. On Friday, it was to begin paying $10,000 a month in rent plus utilities, Deputy Executive Mark Deldin told county commissioners.

He said the county may be able to buy the building for $900,000 to $1 million. If it does so before Dec. 1, it will not have to pay $40,000 in taxes on the building next year, he said.

The long-term facility study on the downtown campus conducted by Plante Moran Cresa doesn’t include a dollar figure for the insurance claim after the fire at the old county building. Deldin told the board that check could be as high as $10 million. He hoped to have a firm figure by the end of the year.

“It’s a lot. I’m sure there’s sticker shock,” Gino Del Pup of Plante Moran Cresa told commissioners of the overall cost in the study, which looked at five buildings.

The county executive’s office is to come up with financing options for the suggested work for the board to review. The options could be ready this month and could include using capital improvement funds, fund balance or a bond.

The space utilization study — which Deldin said cost about $32,500 — includes office renovations at the 13-story old county building, which would house Friend of the Court and Juvenile Court; space for future courtrooms in the Circuit Court, and building out floors in the county administration building currently used for storage.

The Talmer Bank building would house the county’s planning department, register of deeds and other non-court work done by the county clerk’s office.

Costs for all of the building improvements are estimated at $30 million to $35 million.

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The study also includes a new parking deck with 100 more spaces to replace an aging parking garage near the Circuit Court. The new deck is estimated to cost $22 million to $25 million.

The plan also calls for fewer employee spots and more public spots, an idea that isn’t expected to go over well with county workers. An estimated 750 employees would work at the four main buildings downtown.

All of the work in the study, which Deldin said the executive office endorses, could be done in 30 months.

An electrical fire in the old county building put the county’s facility needs on the fast track. The study, however, did not include the county’s campus on Dunham and Elizabeth roads, where the aging county jail is located.

Commissioner Don Brown asked if space is such an issue, why does the study include two vacant floors in the old county building after the renovations.

“That’s kind of odd, don’t you think?” he asked.

Del Pup said it made sense to keep the floors, which are smaller in square footage, vacant for now, but to allow for future growth for the court offices to be located in the building.